What Is Your Life? # 1

What Is Your Life? # 1

"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while - and then vanishes!" (James 4:14).

If God asks a question - we should listen to it, think of it, and prepare an answer. Here the Lord puts a question to us; it refers to the brevity of our moral existence; He asks each one of us, "What is your life?" We think much of it. We make great provision for it. We spend much thought upon it. We are very careful to preserve it.

But what is it? Let us ponder this question. Let us give it the attention it deserves. It is especially suitable to us when shut up in our sick chamber, when afflicted and tried with losses and crosses, or at the commencement of a new year.

Our sufferings may be great, our trials may be many - but they must be short - for what is life? Let us look at the DURATION of our life. It is exceedingly brief. No one figure can set forth its brevity, or sufficiently affect our minds with it - and therefore many are employed.

Our life is like a flower, which springs up under the influence of an eastern sun, which blossoms for an hour, and then fades and dies.

Our life is like a shadow, which lessens and lessens until in a few minutes it is gone.

Our life is like the shuttle which flies in the weaver's hand, and passes before the eye so swiftly, that one can but just it and say - it is gone!

Our life is like the wind which rushes by us; we hear it, we feel it - and it is no more.

Our life is like the dried leaf which is made the sport of the breeze, and soon carried out of sight.

In one passage in the book of Job, we have figures taken from three elements, to represent its rapid flight.

"My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy. They skim past like boats of papyrus, like eagles swooping down on their prey!" (Job 9:25, 26). My life is like the swift ships, with all their sails spread, which, with the canvas crowded, glide along the watery way. My life is like the eagle hastening to its prey, compelled by hunger; with strong pinions it cuts the air, and is soon at the point where it would be!

What then, is your life? "You are a mist that appears for a little while - and then vanishes!"

What is your life in retrospect? Look back over the past ten or twenty years; how swiftly they have passed away, and every year appears to pass more quickly than the last!

What is your life in comparison? What are your thirty, or forty, or even seventy years - if compared with the age of the antediluvian patriarchs - Methuselah, for instance? But what are they in comparison with eternity? Think of endless duration, of interminable ages; and while you think of them, ask, "
What is my life?" Ah, what? No comparison can be drawn - but the thought may be improved. May the Lord help us to improve it.

This naturally leads us to inquire - What is the DESIGN of our life? Why was life given to us? Why is it continued to us? Our life has reference to three parties: First, to ourselves - the design is to prepare us for eternity. We must live forever; but how depends upon the present. If we life in sin here - we must live in suffering forever. If time is spent in folly - eternity will be sent in bitter, unavailing remorse and sorrow. But if we believe in Jesus, exercise repentance toward God, are renewed in the spirit of our minds, and devote our lives to God's service - then eternity will to us be an endless existence in pleasure, satisfaction, and unspeakable delight.

In reference to God - the design of our life is to glorify Him, which we can only do by believing His promises, embracing His Son, observing His precepts, and consecrating our time and all our talents to His praise. Here we should live for God - and then in eternity we shall live with God. Here we should aim in all things to honor God - and then in eternity God will honor us.

~James Smith~

(continued with # 2)